Boston Flora

Wednesday, May 16, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm – Party in the Park

We’ve just received a Save the Date card from the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.Â This year’s Party in the Park, the Justine Mee Liff Fund Luncheon, will take place Wednesday, May 16, will an 11 am reception followed by a 12:30 luncheon in the Kelleher Rose Garden, Back Bay Fens, The Fenway, Boston.Â The Justine Mee Liff Fund, named for our late Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, preserves the legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace.Â If you have been to this event in the past, you know it is splendid, beautiful, and benefits a worthy cause.Â For more information, visit www.emeraldnecklace.org/partyinthepark, or call 617-522-2700.

Sunday, December 11, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Botanical Jewelry Class

Create a unique piece of jewelry or a holiday ornament using pods, seeds, dried leaves and other natural materials, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Sunday, December 11, from 1 – 3, with instructor Julie Lapham of Julie Lapham Designs. Leave in its natural state or cover with gold or silver paint for a touch of sparkle. All materials included. Bring clippers, tweezers and an apron.Â THBG members $30, nonmembers $35.Â Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

Saturday, February 18 – Sunday, February 26 – Costa Rica Photo Expedition

Garden Club of the Back Bay featured speaker Rich Pomerantz is teaming up with past Garden Club of the Back Bay member Peggy Connors for a trip to Costa Rica February 18 – 26, with an optional extension February 26 – 29 to Tortuguero.Â See and photograph rainforests, cloud forests, beaches, the central market in San Jose, tropical gardens at Dota, the Wilson Botanical Gardens in San Vito, pictured below, and you’ll take a motorboat ride in Golfito.

Rich lectures about photography and teaches photography workshops at the NY Botanical Gardens, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and at Botanical Gardens around the country for trade organizations and private groups, and at his studio.Â His photography has appeared in many books and gardening, travel and shelter magazines, including National Geographic for Kids, Traditional Home, Horticulture, Organic Gardening, Travel Holiday, and White Flower Farm catalogues.Â His blog on richpomerantz.com was named by Horticulture Magazine as one of 2011’s best gardening blogs.

Peggy Connors has been leading groups to Costa Rica since 1994 when she founded Costa Rica Naturally!Â She is the co-founder and past president of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers and founder of Connors Landscape Design, Inc.. a landscape consulting and design firm.

The price per person starts at $2,190, and if you book before December 18 you will receive $100 off – call 800-230-3826, or visit www.costaricanaturally.com for more information.

Tuesday, January 17, 6:30 pm – A Night at the Symphony to Benefit the Justine Mee Liff Fund of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy will host a benefit evening at Symphony Hall on Tuesday, January 17, beginning with a pre-concert dinner reception in the Cabot-Cahners Room at 6:30, followed by the 8 pm concert.Â David Zinman will conduct, with featured Norwegian artist Leif Ove Andsnes (pictured below) at the piano.Â The program will include Weber’s Overture to Euryanthe, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, the world premiere of John Harbison’s Symphony No. 6, a BSO commission, and finally, Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks.Â Intermission fare will also be served in the Cabot-Cahners Room, and there will be a Raffle of Culture and Luxury to further enhance the evening.Â $150 per ticket, or be a Supporter for $250 and receive an invitation to a reception on May 15, 2012 at 211 Commonwealth Avenue.Â Tickets are available on line at www.emeraldnecklace.org/BSOconcert/.

Through December 24 – Community Servings Benefit

Retailer Simon Pearce Boston (www.simonpearce.com), located at 103 Newbury Street in Back Bay, will donate a portion from the sale of the Corinth Twist Bauble pictured below to Community Servings, a not-for-profit food and nutrition program serving individuals and families in Massachusetts with critical and chronic illnesses. The ornament, priced at $45, may also be purchased online.

Monday, January 9, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Evolution of Big

Think you know trees? Come to the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum on Monday, January 9, from 7 – 8:30 and learn about an amazing period when there were no trees, and then, in the blink of a geological eye, several different groups of plants evolved the ability to increase their girth and qualify for placement in an arboretum. Get a sense of what forests looked like over three hundred million years ago. Learn about the (sad) extinction of all but one of the early arborescent lineages of plants and find out which evolutionary group of trees survived to populate the Arnold Arboretum and todayâ€™s forests. The free lecture will be given by Ned Friedman, Director of the Arnold Arboretum and Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Registration is required, however, so call 617-384-5277, or visit www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

Saturday, December 10, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – 10th Anniversary of the MarchÃ© de NoÃ«l

For the 10th anniversary of the MarchÃ© de NoÃ«l, the staff of The French Cultural Center are tapping into the source of holiday spirit: family!

Kids will find plenty of entertainment:

For the 10th anniversary of the MarchÃ© de NoÃ«l, the staff of The French Cultural Center are tapping into the source of holiday spirit: family!

Kids will find plenty of entertainment:
– seasonal activities at 10:00am and 1:30pm
– story time at 11:30am and 3:00pm
– picture time with Papa Noel at 12:00pm and 3:30pm
and much more!!

Parents can play along with their kids or stroll through the beautiful Back Bay mansion, complimentary glass of mulled wine or hot cider in hand, and browseÂ vendorsâ€™ wares. Offerings range from yummy food items to home goods and children’s clothing.

Members: $2 for individuals, $5 for families of 4 or more
Non-members: $3 for individuals, $10 for families of 4 or more
Free admission for children under 3 years of age.

For more information, visit www.frenchculturalcenter.org.
– seasonal activities at 10:00am and 1:30pm
– story time at 11:30am and 3:00pm
– picture time with Papa Noel at 12:00pm and 3:30pm
and much more!!

Members: $2 for individuals, $5 for families of 4 or more
Non-members: $3 for individuals, $10 for families of 4 or more
Free admission for children under 3 years of age.

For more information, visit www.frenchculturalcenter.org.

Saturday, December 10, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Titus Sparrow Park Holiday Party

Caroling, a visit from Santa, a holiday pinata, treats for kids, coffee and hot chocolate, a cookie creation station, and sledding (weather permitting, although considering the weather these days, you might consider sun bathing instead), will all happen on Saturday, December 10 from 2 – 3 at Titus Sparrow Park.Â The park is located on West Newton St. between Columbus and Huntington Avenues, next to the Southwest Corridor Parkland. Visit www.titussparrowpark.org for details.

Saturday, January 14, 9:00 am – 5:30 pm – Design From the Heart in 5 Minutes: A Complete Diet Garden

Do you garden in small spaces?Â Would you like to increase your production and decrease your inputs and energy?Â John Jeavons of Ecology Action in California will present an all day seminar at the NOFA/Mass Winter Conference on Saturday, January 14, from 9 – 5:30, at Worcester State University, entitled Design from the Heart in 5 Minutes: A Complete Diet Garden.Â Learn how to choose the crops for yourself and your family for this year’s garden, and easily plan what to do each week for a productive and tasty harvest.Â To register, visit www.nofamass.org/conferences/winter/, or call 978-355-2853.

Saturday, December 10, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm – 8th Annual SoWa Holiday Market

The 8th Annual SoWa Holiday Market in Boston will be held Saturday, December 10, 2011, from 11am â€“ 7pm, at the Cathedral High School, 74 Union Park Street. This year’s Holiday Market will feature over 80 juried artists and designers from around New England. From the fashionably chic to the hip and cutting edge, shoppers are sure to find an original gift for everyone on their list. Expect to find an exceptional array of indie goods, including: handbags, jewelry, pottery, letterpress stationery, silk-screened t-shirts, baby clothes, re-purposed wool accessories and more! This handmade holiday spectacular will take place in SoWa’s Cathedral High School Gym, located in Boston’s trendy SoWa arts and media district. For more information, visit www.sowaholidaymarket.com/.